Eggs of blessing!

Along with everyone in America, we have been feeling the boa constrictor squeeze of the economy on our finances. My hubby’s work hours have been recently cut pack which, is not unheard of during the summer months. However, the month of July was exceptionally horrible. So much so that I envisioned myself dressed permanently in an oversized robe with my hair up in curlers, no make-up, chugging on coffee laced with something stronger and taking long, stress relieving drags on a cigarette. Not that we could even afford cigarettes or hard coffee but the image was one that I could relate to. It was an image of total despair and haggardness! Especially when I was faced with the excited summer faces of my kids who were constantly asking if we could “do something” which inevitably would cost a small fortune. After all, summer is a time of splurging, of family fun and activities. They had waited the entire year for these summer activities! By this point, I had gone through every ounce of creativity that I had (which is not much) to help pass the days without spending any money. Fending them off took great resilience and heart felt communication.

Overall they were taking the general disappointment like seasoned adults that is, until the snacks and choice food items ran dry. Their bellows could be heard pitifully throughout the house “There’s nothing to eat!” Notice I left off the very critical adjective “good” because usually they yell “there’s nothing good to eat” indicating that there is in fact something in the house to eat, just not an item that they are interested in consuming. However, after chewing through all of the “good” stuff they immediately went for the essential basics (like milk, eggs, etc) and sucked them bone dry like the little hoovers that they are. I stood clothed in my imaginary rob with the imaginary curlers intact in my hair in utter disbelief at the state of affairs going on in our fridge. They were correct! There was nothing to eat and even worse the funds to simply replenish the stash, as we routienly do under normal circumstances, were lacking. The cupboards were equally as bare thanks to the locusts (i.e. hungry kids). I sent them on a food foraging exploration to look in our downstairs freezer in the hopes of striking gold. This much needed time alone gave me the opportunity to crack a little and have a conversation with my heavenly daddy. He is the ultimate provider and I reminded Him of this fact. Not that He required me to, it just made me feel better!

Upon returning from their freezer expedition they informed me with despair that it was pretty much in the same condition as the rest of our food supply. Sighing, I suddenly remembered our neighbors who had a small farm complete with chickens. Where there are chickens there are usually eggs! I called and sure enough they had eggs for sale at a reasonable price. I dug into the deep recesses of my purse and gathered together the exact amount of money and sent the kids on an egg retrieval mission. Those eggs carried us through a few meals. Shortly after we bought the farm eggs my neighbor called and informed us that they were going on vacation and asked if we would be willing to care for the chickens. As payment for our labor we could keep all of the eggs the chickens laid as well as pick anything we wanted from the multiple gardens! Smiling I said without hesitation “yes!” and “thank-you daddy!”

Eggs, the very object we were lacking is the same one we have an over abundance of currently. The humor of God! Every time I open the fridge and see the many cartons I smile and I am reminded: “Oh how He loves us, how He loves us so!” So during these difficult times we need to stay out of the robes and curlers and look for our blessings even if they come in the form of eggs!!